Roma reject City advances for defender

Here at the Football Transfer Tavern we love nothing more than an in-demand player and Roma’s Marquinhos is exactly that according to the Daily Mail.

Manchester City have apparently joined the race for the Serie A defender and have firmly been told where to go by the club. Not only are City in for the highly rated youngster, it is also claimed that Real Madrid have been sniffing round the player.

The 18-year-old has established himself firmly as a first team player at the Stadio Olimpico in the time he has been at Roma and has seen scouts of both Real Madrid and Barcelona come and watch him. The Catalan giants were thought to be preparing an 8 million euro bid for the player according to Corriere dello Sport and will face stiff competition for the player.

City of course are facing something of a defensive crisis with Kolo Toure away at the African Cup of Nations and young Serb Matija Nastasic out, not to mention the absence of influential skipper Vincent Kompany and feel that Marquinhos is not only one for the future but could help their push for the Premier League title now.

Will City come back with a further bid for Marquinhos? Let us know your thoughts below.